Changing Name In India: Procedure, Fees and Other Steps To Follow

Changing your name is practically a common and simple task to do in India, than in any other part of the world. The procedure for the purpose in India is not that bothersome as one thinks it might be. The reasons for such a move can be many. Women change their last name after getting married. There might be various other reasons for doing the same such as astrology, better suitability, simplifying long names, and so on.  Some people have little idea about this procedure in India. This article will try to give you a complete outlook about the same. Even though it may seem lengthy, but the procedure to change your name is quite simple.

Steps For The Procedure

Three things are necessary for the purpose:

1. Affidavit Submission: For changing your name you would be needing an affidavit to be prepared and submit it to the concerned authorities.
2. Ad Publication: Publishing an announcement in the newspaper is an important step for the procedure. 
3. Gazette Notification: Publishing a notification in the Gazette of India. Gazette refers to any form of a journal, newspaper, etc.

• Affidavit Submission

Submission of your affidavit is the first step in the legal procedure of changing your name. You should contact a notary for the required step. You would get a sense of clarity by going through the following steps:

1. Contact your local notary for your required purpose.
2. The stamp paper of the required value would be suggested by the notary on which the affidavit is made. 
3. Once you have acquired the paper, you need to fill in the following details:
4. Your current address
5. Your current and the new name
6. The specific reason for the name change (Astrology, numerology, marriage, etc)

• After printing, the affidavit is printed on a plain stamp paper, it needs to be signed by two witnesses. The legal procedure requires you to get it signed by two people of gazetted officer rank. Make sure that you get their signatures, along with their stamp (rubber stamp).
• Women who are getting married or are already married and desire to change their last name or add their husband’s name as initials are required to fill in the following details:

1. Old name along with their father’s name and address
2. Their new name along with the husband’s name and address
3. Date of their marriage

The affidavit should be reflecting both your old and new names. Affidavits can also be used for making changes to your whole name, surname, or just a few letters. Preserve the copy of the affidavit with yourself. This is an important document and comes in handy for any future legal formalities.  Indians who are residing overseas and who need to change their name need to submit a deed stating the change of name. The deed should be duly signed by the Indian High Commission office or the Indian Embassy.

• Newspaper Publication

When you are done with the first procedure of preparing an affidavit and submitting it, you need to publish an ad/notification in the local newspaper about your name change. For doing this, you can select two newspapers, one that publishes in the official language of the state and the other, an English daily.  For example, if you are a resident of Madhya Pradesh, you can choose Dainik Bhaskar and Times of India/Hindustan Times. If you belong to Tamil Nadu you can then go for Dinakaran/Dina Thanthi and The Hindu/Indian Express. You are required to pick two popular daily and send a request to them, mentioning the following details:

1. Your new name
2. Your old name
3. Date of birth
4. Address

• Gazette Notification

This is the last step of the procedure. Once your name is published in the gazette your name change will be legally complete. The name change gazette notification is compulsory for government employees and optional for others. It is looked upon as substantial proof of your name change. It might make sense to go through with it as it just involves sending a few documents for publication. Steps for submitting a Gazette notification:

• Keep a copy of the ‘Deed changing name form’ available along with the Controller of Publication, Department of Publication
• You can also submit a letter of declaration stating the need for changing the name
• Take two photographs attested by you to ensure you go ahead with the procedure uninterrupted
• Take original copies of advertisements published with the date (attach both ads)
• Take address and identify proofs

Before you send the mentioned details, call the Controller’s Office of Publication to obtain a detailed account of what needs to be sent, and write it down. Also, place the above-mentioned documents in an A4 sized envelope before you send it to the below-mentioned address. The Controller’s Office of Publication will forward information, with the required copies of the Gazette on which the Advertisement/Notification was published. Preserve this for future reference.

Example Of Name Change Advertisement 

The newspapers assign a column for these notifications and would be able to guide you on this. The format can be seen from any o the newspaper. Here is an easy example. Let's assume XYZ wants to change his name to ABC. I, XYZ, residing at, have changed my name to ABC and will be known as ABC from here on in. I have submitted an affidavit to this effect, which was signed by on. Women who would like to change their surname after getting married tend to add their husband's name and address in the notification. After your notification is published in the newspaper, remember to collect as many copies as you can, and store them for future use. Although a single copy would suffice, it is better to store as much real newspaper ad copies as you can, to be on the safer side.

Fees for Gazette Notification

After completion of the above-mentioned procedure, your part in the name changing process in India is over. Coming over to the gazette name change online fees. The Government will be responsible for printing about change in your name in the Gazette. The amount of fee charged for Gazette notifications can vary from Rs. 700 to Rs. 900 depending on whether you want a public notice or not. You can make the payment either in cash or by a demand draft/postal order that is drawn in favor of the Controller of Publication, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi-110054. In case you would be submitting it in person, then you need to visit this address (office hours: 10 AM-1 PM and 2 PM-3 PM on working days), or you can also courier/speed post the envelope along with complete details to the address mentioned above. You can also visit the website of the Department of Publication (Government of India) for further details.

Verify-in Every Document

Although your task of legalizing your name is over, it is crucial to save all the documents and use them for officially changing your name in the bank records, certificates, and any other documents that are required. The name change documents might come as essential ones while applying for or renewing your passport or for any other future transactions. Also, in many cases, the affidavit process is over and the Newspaper advertisements for a name change are over, and but not the Gazetter notification is still pending. Although, as stated earlier, the government employees have the compulsory clause for Gazette notifications, the banks might ask for Gazette notification before changing your name in the account.

Procedure For Name Change After Marriage 

Marriage is a life-changing decision. And for various women, although much fewer than before, it's one that involves the change of a name or in some cases just surname as well. In case you are getting married, or were recently married, and need to know how to change your name, you've come to the right place.

Procedure For Changing Your Name Online In A Birth Certificate

After some point of time, people do not feel the need to change their names or their children's. The name change in India might appear to be a tedious procedure as by then some of your official documents might also be issued. Of all the certificates, the Birth Certificate holds significant importance. It has to be compulsorily produced during national level examinations, medical check-ups, school, and job transfers, etc. The list may go on as new rules and amendments keep coming in.

Procedure For Name Change In PAN Card

PAN Card name change may be needed due to various reasons that include marriage, misspelled name in PAN card, change of name, and any other reasons. Name change online is possible for PAN and the name change procedure is easy and can be completed by simply filling the form for PAN card change online through TIN or NSDL. The fee for requesting PAN card change is Rs.105 and in case, the PAN card has to be mailed abroad, an additional charge of Rs.866 is applicable.

Possible Reasons For A Name Change

1. Marriage
2. Dislike Current Name
3. Change of Gender
4. Divorce
5. Religious Reasons
6. Political Context
7. Change of Gender
8. Identity Makeover

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